Metal match-box.



A-DUN-HILL.

M'ETAL MATCH BO X. APPLICATION FILED OCT. 30, I916.

Patented Mar. 6,1917.

3&9. 4.

ALFRED DUNHILL, or Lennon, ENGLAND.

METAL MATCH-BOX. I r

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 30, 1916. SerialNo. 128,490.

holding matches and to that particular va riety of box which consists ofan inner tray or container for the matches, a housing surrounding saidtray or container, an outer part snugly fitting the exterior of andhingedly connected to said housing, and means by which said tray orcontainer will be pushed out to the required extent when the outer partof the box is turned outward and be retracted when said outer part isturned back. The outer parts of such boxes serve as wind shields. I

A defect of such boxes, as hitherto constructed, is that the inner traysor containers thereof can not be pushed into the housings of the boxeswithout causing the outer parts of the boxes to be also retracted,'inother words the outer parts of said boxes can not in such circumstancesbe used as wind shields.

According to the present invention the mechanism by which the inner trayor con tainer, hereinafter referred to as the tray, of a box of theabove described kind is pushed out and retracted is such that it willallow the tray to be pushed into the housing of the box without causingthe outer part of the box to be returned to its normal position.

The invention is illustrated by the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is aside elevation illustrating the external appearance of the improvedbox.Fig. 2 is a view corresponding to Fig. '1, but showing in dotted linesmechanism which, in addition to causing the tray of the box to be pushedout and retracted when the outer part of the box is turned outward andback, will allow thetray to be pushed-in by hand without causingmovement of the outer part of the box. Fig. 3 is a transverse section ofFig. 2, taken on theline a-b. Fig. 4: is a plan, viewed from below, ofthe tray of the box. Fig. 5 is a view corresponding to Fig. 4,illustrating a slight modification.

1 is the tray of the improved box. '2 is a housing for the tray 1. 3 isthe outer part of the box which is hingedly connected to the housing 2and when turned outward causes the tray 1 to be pushed out to a limitedexftgent and when turned backward retracts said ray; v

All of the above enumerated parts are common to the type of box to whichthe invention relates.

In the case of the present invention the mechanism through the medium ofwhich the tray of the box is pushed out and re tracted is such as toallow the tray to be pushed in by handwithout causing the outer part ofthe box to be returned to its normal position. 7 V I Y Amatch boxfulfilling thispurpose may be constructed in the'manner now to bedescribed. V v v The outer part 3 of the improved box is hingedlyconnected to the housing 2 by means of a long rivet 1. A lever 5,provided at its outer end with an upstanding pin 6,

I Patented Mar. 6, 1917.. I

is loosely mounted on the rivet 4 below the I tray 1,- and the rivetissurrounded by -a sleeve 7 'which extends from the inner face of thelever 5 to the' inner face of the 013-.

posite wall of the housing 2. The lever 5 is connected to the outer part3 of the box by a pin 8, and the housing2 is formed with an arc-shapedslot 9 in which the pin, 8 travels as the outer part 3 of the box isturned outward. The tray 1 is provided on-its bottom with a cam groove10, 11 of substantially L- shape, in which engages the-upstanding pin 6of the lever 5, with a recess 12, located in front of the cam groove10,11 and separated therefrom by a wedge-shaped projection 13, and. witha gateway 14: connecting the innermost part of the cam groove 10, 11 tothe recess 12. The first part 10 of the cam groove 10, 11 is arc-shaped,is struck from the center of the rivet i, and is made of such lengththatthere will be no movement of the tray-1 until the outer part 3 ofthebox has been moved into a position which will allow the tray 1' tomove outward. The second part 11 of the cam groove 10, 11 is such thatas themovementof the outervpart3 of, the box is continued the tray 1will be forced out ward until at the end of the movement of the outerpart 3 of the box, when said part will have-been turned through a rightangle,

the tray -1 will have been pushed out to therequired extent. Thewedge-shaped projection 13 is provided opposite to the inner end of thecurved or first part 10 of the cam groove 10, 11 with an incline 15 toallow the pin 6 at the end of the lever to pass on to the wedge-shapedprojection 13 when the outer part 3 of the box is being turned back. Therecess 12 may be of segmental shape, as shown in Fig. 4c, or extend tothe front of the tray 1, as shown in Fig. 5.

The cam groove 10, 11, the recess 12, the arc-shaped projection 13 andthe gateway 1 1 are preferably constructed by means of stampings orplates 1 and 1", of the necessary shape, Figs. 4 and 5, secured to thebottom .of the tray 1. The side wall of the housing 2 which is normallycovered by the outer part 3 of the box is provided with a roughened orstriking surface for the matches.

The above described parts cooperate as follows Assuming that the box isclosed and the user wishes to abstract a match then the outer part 3 of.the box is turned outward. During the first part of this outwardmovement the tray 1 will remain in the housing 2., as the pin 6 on theouter end of the lever 5 will be traveling in the arc-shaped part 10 ofthe cam groove 10, 1.1. As soon as the outer part 3 of the box has beenturned into a position which will allow the tray 1 to be pushed out thepin 6 will enter the second or straight part 11 of the cam groove 10,11. Further movement of the outer part of the box will cause the tray 1to be pushed out to the required extent. A match having been withdrawnfrom the box the tray 1 is pushed in by hand. This movement of the trayis possible gateway 14 and can therefore pass into the recess 12. Thematch having been struck on the roughened surface provided on the outerwall of the housing 2, below the outer part or wind shield 3, the box isclosed by turning back the outer part 3 of the box. At the commencementof the backward movement of the outer part 3 the pin 6 at thepater endof the lever 5 will be in line with the gateway 14. During the firstpart of said movement the pin 6 will travel in the recess 12, but duringthe latter part of the movement will ride up the incline 15, pass overthe wedge shaped projection 13 and snap into the arc-shaped part 10 ofthe cam groove 10, 11. Eventually the pin 6 will travel to the end ofthe arc-shaped part 10 of the cam groove 10, 11, that is to say reachits initial position.

flopies of this patent may be obtained for as the pin 6 will be oppositeto the What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by LettersPatent of the United States is 1. A match box, comprising a housing, awind shield pivoted to the housing, a tray for the matches slidable inthe housing, and lever mechanism operatively connecting the tray withthe wind shield and engaging positively with the tray in one directionand operating to slide the tray outwardly when the wind shield israised, said mechanism being automatically disengageable in the reversedirection to permit the tray to be pushed in without lowering the windshield.

2. A match box, comprising a housing, a wind shield pivoted to thehousing, a tray for the matches slidablein the housing and provided withan actuating device and an inclined portion arranged near one endthereof, a lever connected with the wind shield at one end and having aprojection at its other end for engaging with the said-device andinclined portion, said device operating to slide the tray outwardlywhile the wind shield is being raised, and said inclined portionoperating to disengage the said lever to permit the tray to be pushed inwithout lowering the wind shield.

3. A metal box for holding matches, consisting of a tray, a housingsurrounding said tray, an outer part, shaped to serve as a wind shield,snugly fitting and hingedly connected to said housing by means of arivet, a lever loosely motmted on said rivet at a level below said tray,a pin connecting said lever to said outer part or wind shield, anareshaped slot formed in said housing for the travel of said pin, anupstanding pin at the outer end of said lever, and a cam groove 0substantially L-shape, a recess in front of said cam groove separatedfrom said cam groove by a wedge-shaped projection formed on its frontwith an incline in line with the outer part of said cam groove, and agateway connecting the inner end of said cam groove to said recess, saidcam groove, recess and gateway being provided on the bot tom of the trayof the box and cooperating with the upstanding pin at the outer end ofsaid lever, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

ALFRED DUNHILL.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington,D. G.

